Mindex, the export center of the Iranian Defense Ministry, accepts cryptocurrency payment methods for advanced weapons systems to circumvent international sanctions the country faces.
Potential customers can purchase weapons such as missiles, tanks and drones using crypto, among other accepted payment methods including Iranian rials or barter, according to the center’s website.
Mindex is responsible for Iranian defense sales abroad and claims to have customers in 35 countries.
No prices are displayed for available items.
This offer is one of the first known cases of a country accepting cryptocurrency as payment for military equipment, according to the Financial Timesincluding the news earlier.
The possibility of using cryptocurrency as a means of payment in transactions involving sanctioned countries is, however, already well established. In early 2025, blockchain analytics provider Chainalysis reported that countries sanctioned by the United States had received nearly $16 billion in digital assets the previous year.
UN sanctions against Iran experienced a new escalation in 2025with the reimposition of those that were lifted in 2015 linked to the country’s nuclear program.
